Category: Mormons and SpecFic

Your Early Christmas Present? New LDS Science Fiction

A few months ago, I did that annoying author thing where I cryptically posted that a story of mine which I never thought would see the light of day was going to be published. Well, now’s the time for more details because my flash fiction piece “The Arm of Mercy” is a part of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts advent calendar!

Every day from now until Christmas, you can open a short story by a Latter-day Saint writer. The calendar features stories from across the 20th and 21st centuries: I can’t believe I’m sharing a page with Nephi Anderson, Susa Young Gates, and Maureen Whipple in addition to several of my favorite contemporary LDS writers. And going by the daily icons, I’m guessing we have a good deal of speculative fiction represented as well.

My story is behind the little virtual flap for December 8th, a week from today. I’ve sometimes described “The Arm of Mercy” as Mormon Star Trek, because that’s what my beta-reader called it, but it would be more accurate to say the story is a more culturally-aware version of the LDSS Nauvoo from The Expanse. In this flash story, I try to fill out what an actual Latter-day Saint generation ship might look like. What would happen if your ward not only lived in the same geographic area but crewed a starship together?

In the story, you’ll notice some aspects of LDS culture that I’ve copy-pasted straight from our current context, and others that I’ve allowed to develop in unusual ways. I’m not in any way predicting that the Church would develop this way in space, only that it’s an interesting possibility. One of the fun things about writing the far future is imagining the ways that things both change and stay the same. Amidst all the tantalizing changes, the thing that I hope grounds readers in the story is the interpersonal dynamics of serving in ward leadership. Several characters in the story are extrapolated from people I’ve worked with in my decade of serving as a Relief Society secretary in three different wards.

To check out my story along with 23 other interesting works of LDS literature, visit the Center’s Advent Calendar page. Just don’t get on Santa’s naughty list by opening the stories early! 😉

Sanderson’s Mormon Hat Tips: Brother Maeser Visits Roshar

AI image of a hat tip

In my series of blog posts for AML about Latter-day Saints and speculative fiction, I coined the idea of the “Mormon hat tip.” This idea is based on a complaint that Michael Collings made about Orson Scott Card’s science fiction in a Dialogue article: he claimed that Card included throwaway references to LDS ideas and culture because they were demanded by the audience but that he didn’t develop them into any interesting. I have relabeled these references as hat tip to reframe them in a slightly more positive way. A hat tip is a reference that the Latter-day Saint audience will instantly recognize, but that remains undiscovered to a general audience. It’s a wink or nod from the author to our shared culture.

I’ve obviously been delayed in my plans to post about these references in Brandon Sanderson’s first batch of secret projects. I still intend to come back to those. But I came across a hat tip yesterday in my re-reading of Wind and Truth that struck me so profoundly that I was compelled to come and post about it.

It seems to be almost universally agreed by fans that perhaps the best plot line in the otherwise flawed fifth Stormlight book is Adolin Kholin’s defense of a city against an overwhelming siege. It’s grimy, depressing, and stunningly hopeful in ways that are reminiscent of Kaladin’s original Bridge Four plotline. What makes the plotline work is Adolin’s internal wrestle with his own sense of inadequacy, which relates strongly to his lack of magical powers in a world full of near demigods and his father’s own journey from warlord to noble, nearly divine leader.

Adolin rages against the idolization of his father and of radiant oaths in general, a nice contrast to the importance of oaths in the rest of the magic ecosystem of the books. He tries to draw a distinction between the idea of oaths as unbreakable and inflexible vows and promises as intentions that can flex with changing circumstances.

Whether this distinction works or not is up for debate (Shardcast wasn’t a fan of it), but one of the examples that Adolin uses to draw the distinction will be familiar to anyone who has attended BYU:

“Too many people,” Adolin said as his armorers began to put on his Plate, “think the oath, and not what it means, is the important part. I heard something in one of my lessons once, from an ardent. About a man who took an oath to sit in a chair until told he could stand–and he stayed there for ten years.”

“Wow,” Yawnagawn said. “That’s impressive.”

“It’s idiocy,” Adolin said. “Pardon, Yanagawn–everyone celebrated him, but it’s pure idiocy. You know what I’d admire? A man who gave an oath, then realized it was storming stupid and broke it–apologized–and moved on with his life, determined not the make that kind of mistake again.” (Wind and Truth 500)

To me, this is a clear reference to a famous quote from Karl G. Maeser, the first principal of Brigham Young Academy (which would eventually evolve into BYU):

Karl G. Maeser was known not only for his intelligence and teaching skills but also for his humility and integrity. He said: “Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first!” (quoted in Ernest L. Wilkinson, The President Speaks, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [5 October 1960], 15).

There’s a statue of Maeser near the Honors building on BYU campus that is named after him. It’s pretty typical for some BYU students to have drawn a chalk circle around the statue because the quote is so well known. Or at least it used to be, when I did my undergrad in the early 2000s and presumably when Sanderson was here in the 90s as well. Lately, I feel like there’s been a bit of a reversal on Brother Maeser’s commitment to integrity in the same direction as Adolin’s criticism–that fanatical commitment to your word can be dangerous and even contrary to a commitment to doing what’s right. You can find criticisms of this story online in more progressive LDS spaces, like this 2016 post from Blair Hodges on By Common Consent.

I’ll try to continue to post these Mormon hat tips in smaller chunks as I come across them, though I’m pretty busy. I’m not sure what to do with these references yet, but I think they’re interesting to observe. Post a comment below if you noticed other LDS references in Sanderson’s recent works.

Cahokia and Deseret: One Projection of an Alternate Mormon Nation

As Michael Collings noted in his classic article on depictions of Latter-day Saints in speculative fiction, one of the science fiction common uses of the Church is as a governmental structure in post-apocalyptic fiction. Once the world has been destroyed, governments fall and alternate structures take its place. When the western United States is mentioned, that usually means a casual mention of the Church maintaining order. (Orson Scott Card did a take of this trope from an LDS perspective in Folk of the Fringe.)

What Collings didn’t note was that the same idea carries over into many books in the alternate history genre. Alternate history is an interesting part of the speculative fiction universe in that these books don’t necessarily contain the same reality-breaking tropes typical of science fiction or fantasy: no aliens, robots, or magic. (Though some do: shoutout to Lee Allred’s Clockwork Deseret universe.) Instead, they speculate by changing a key moment in history and projecting possible societal changes forward. This creates a world that feels speculative, even though it may be entirely realistic (or to be more precise, mimetic). Alternate history novels often focus on a different ending to some key moment in history like the Civil War (eg Bring the Jubilee) or WWII (eg The Man in the High Castle). if America is part of the setting, there’s often a throwaway reference to some kind of state or territory called Deseret out in the west.

This brings us to Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford, which won this year’s Sidewise Award for Alternate History. My friend Paul Williams who studies alternate history novels brought this one to my attention. He pointed out that the author is a religious guy (he’s also written a book of Christian apologetics, titled ironically Unapologetic) and that this novel had a small but significant portrayal of an alternate Deseret.

Since the audiobook was currently available through my library, I picked it up and blasted through it fairly quickly. The general premise of the book is that the initial colonizers of the Americas brought over a less virulent strain of smallpox, immunizing many of the indigenous people. The result is a lot more native peoples live through the early colonization era. They form an alliance with the Jesuits, who help them find an acceptable way to syncretize Catholicism with indigenous religions. They travel north and rehabilitate the abandoned native metropolis of Cahokia into a territory largely governed and inhabited by indigenous people (referred to by the unified name of Takata) that eventually join the union as a free state during the Civil War.

From an LDS perspective, we could see this conjecture as similar to the project of the Book of Mormon, which casts the native peoples of America as ancient Christians. There’s a long history of people looking for evidence of Book of Mormon geography to syncretize various drawings and legends with the narrative. Spufford has caught some flack for his syncretism as drawing away from authentic indigenous speculative fiction. Granted that I have no skin in the game, but Spufford’s supposition seems like a reasonable one from a historical perspective. It would hardly be the first time in history that Christianity blended in local religious practices to make itself more successful. I’m thinking about all those Catholic Saints who seem to have been syncretized with local pagan deities, like Brigit/Brigid in Ireland.

Let’s set that aside. Since my wheelhouse is portrayals of Mormons, let’s look at what amounts to a fairly fleshed-out (yet still background) description of the alternate history of the Latter-day Saints. Deseret, Brigham Young, and other Mormon items crop up in the book less than a dozen times, but the pieces still paint an interesting picture:

  • Apparently, there’s still a restoration of some kind. Joseph Smith doesn’t get a mention, but Brigham Young apparently leads the saints to the west, so Joseph’s presence is implied. However, the reaction to the restoration is modulated by the increased Catholic presence in America. It seems to be more of a “we’ll deal with those heretics later,” rather than “these religious ideas are dangerous now.” It’s the kind of long-term, centuries-rather-than-decades thinking that I’ve come to associate with a Catholic approach.
  • Polygamy makes it all the way to the 1920s. The story’s present-day newspapers contain headlines about polygamy as a sticking point for the negotiations for Deseret to enter the union.
  • There’s a Mormon temple that looks like a “pink wedding cake” in the heart of the midwestern city where the story is set. I’m guessing this is based on the Community of Christ temple in Independence, but it’s not really clear. Yet somehow the main body of Latter-day Saints still ended up in the west. I guess with the presence of Cahokia, Nauvoo wouldn’t have been as much of a frontier as it was in our timeline. But why go to Nauvoo? The book is silent on this; it only indicates that the Takata thought their safety was benefitted by separating the white people into warring groups, and thus they aided the Mormons on their journey westward. Presumably, Cahokia’s presence as an independent country also helped them establish Deseret as an independent state. Cahokia decides to join the union in the civil war because they are starting to being outnumbered, while it appears Deseret is still considering, right up to the story’s present.
  • Brigham Young seems to be much more friendly to natives. There’s a prominent scene in the “palace” of the now-symbolic monarch of Cahokia, which showcases a painting of a native council negotiating with business tycoons over the location of cross-continental railroad lines, and Brigham Young gets a seat at the table. This leads me to . . .
  • Questionable understanding of LDS sartorial choices. In this painting, Brigham Young is pictured in a prophetic robe embroidered with lightning. (Yes, we have robes, but not those kind, and they presumably wouldn’t have been worn to a political negotiation.) But this could be forgiven as the painting is explicitly historiography; the book draws attention to how the painting inaccurately dolls up each of the native representatives in maximum costume, when the real negotiation was much rougher. But prophetic robes as a Mormon ethnic costume? I suppose it’s better than pioneer garb.

Anyway, I highly recommend Cahokia Jazz all on its own, even if you aren’t interested in the Mormon references. It’s got a compelling detective plot and some interesting things to say about a multi-ethnic Christianity, and there may or may not be some magic going on in the end. Definitely worth your time.

On Mormon Rock Star Status, Brandon Sanderson, and Orson Scott Card

What does it mean to be a Latter-day Saint rock star?

This week, an acquaintance I met at ICFA emailed me a question:

As a Mormon fantasy scholar, what do you think of Brandon Sanderson? I mean, I love him and I’m teaching The Emperor’s Soul in my fantasy fiction class next year, but as a local boy made good, I’m just kinda curious about whether he has, like … Elvis Presley status within LDS circles.

Gotta love the B-Money persona

Obviously, this was a very dangerous question thing to do and resulted in me typing a three-paragraph email instead of making breakfast for my kids. But this question has been rolling around in my head for a few days now, so I figured I would try to put my thoughts together into a more cohesive format for your perusal.

Continue reading “On Mormon Rock Star Status, Brandon Sanderson, and Orson Scott Card”

Irreantum Genre Issue: Editor’s Comments

I intended to post this after I finished releasing these comments on social media, but graduate school got the best of me. Nonetheless, they deserve a permanent home here, so apologies for the un-timely post.

Irreantum’s genre issue is alive in the world! I have been absolutely dying to share this issue with you all for months. These stories absolutely prove that combining Mormonism with genre elements doesn’t have to be gimmicky or silly; speculative fiction (and other genres, though most of these works have a supernatural slant) can lead to profound thoughts about our culture, about our beliefs, about human nature, and about the universe. Here are my thoughts as a co-editor of the issue on the stories contained therein. I’m going in reverse order of the table of contents just to make sure the ending pieces don’t get forgotten.

Could Brandon Sanderson Have Saved the Nephites? – Obviously, as someone who also writes criticism about Mormonism in Brandon Sanderson’s work, I feel really excited about this piece. Nick Fredrick is a very careful and reflective scholar; his analysis of the parables in The Way of Kings left me thinking about both Stormlight and The Book of Mormon in ways that I hadn’t before. After I listened to him read this piece at LTUE last year, I knew it needed to be published, and I’m so pleased that we were able to include it in this issue.

The Year the Graveyard Flooded – Emily Feuz Jensen’s piece straddles the line between realism and magical realism in the best ways. Are the people of the town just interpreting events in faith-promoting ways or is something really happening? Either way, this story features classic LDS themes of turning the hearts to the fathers in a lyrical, contemplative package.

The Incident at Burning Bush Ranch – I love the way Shayla Frandsen wields the tropes of the “found footage” genre in a written package. The ambiguities and corrections feel authentically folkloresque, and the story she tells plays off of an important but less-explored aspect of LDS culture, girls’ camp. This was one of the first submissions for this issue that I fell in love with.

Welded – I’ll admit to being intimidated by poetry, but I love what Makoto Hunter has done by mashing together poetry and historical research. I learned a lot about the history of polygamy from the footnotes and a lot about the human heart from the stanzas. Hopefully you’ll enjoy unraveling exactly what the author is implying as much as I did.

An Opportunity – This story is unique because Jeanna Mason Stay tells it from an outsider perspective; her protagonist is both outside the LDS community and outside her family’s special heritage. But there’s something undeniably Mormon about the magic system she presents and the wrestle the protagonist has with her past and her future. In an age of strained family relationships, this story will touch your heart and stay with you for a long time.

7 Devils – Declan Hyde gives this issue some classic demonic possession. I love the LDS twists on the lore, but the ending is what made my heart race in the best horror way. I recommend reading this one with the lights on and in a highly-populated area (or the inverse, if you like being scared).

The Archaemaji – This story is a Heavenly Mother story, but perhaps not like the ones you’ve read before. While it’s set in a secondary world, it makes commentary on an issue that’s important in contemporary LDS writing. D. C. Wynters’s ending struck as unique among the Mormon literature that longs for the divine feminine, and it’s one that couldn’t have been achieved without the unique fantasy set-up of the story.

Unidentified Faith-affirming Object – Gregory Brooks’s irreverent mash-up made me laugh out loud from the first line: “A column of light, gradually descending like a tractor beam.” Mormon readers might think they can tell exactly where this poem is going to go, but the scope quickly grows wider than you might anticipate. The radical recontextualization of everything you know will feel familiar and, dare I say, alien at the same time.

An interview with Sandy Petersen – I haven’t listened to the full interview yet, but I’m excited to learn about an aspect of LDS involvement in the nerd-space that I’ve previously only heard about. Sandy Peterson created The Call of Cthulu, an influential RPG game based on Lovecraftian mythos. His story is an important part of the history of Mormon speculative fiction. Thanks to D. J. Butler for conducting this interview.

Remember the Blood – When I first read Nate Givens’s story, it gave me strong early Orson Scott Card vibes. Partly this is because of the horror/dread aspect of this story’s lore. Part is the young male protagonist, both cocky and naive. And part is the unique blend of Mormon and Mesoamerican folklore, strongly reminiscent of Pastwatch or “America” from Folk of the Fringe. For me, the ending hits the perfect blending of fantasy and theology for a surprising-but-inevitable resolution that stuck with me.

The Case of the Missing Sacrament Bread – Katherine Cowley sets up a humorous mystery with the form of a ward history, a genre which perhaps only those who have to write them know about. I know none of the Relief Society histories I’ve written were half so interesting as this. You’ll recognize many characters from your local ward in her send-up of the quotidian aspects of LDS culture.

It’s About the People Under You – The concept of this one made me laugh out loud when I was reading through the slush pile, and I knew we needed it for the issue. Willow Dawn Becker satirizes so many aspects of Utah Mormon culture with the protagonist’s gradual downward spiral.

This is What Happened in Trígonus – Alejandro Seta’s work, presented in both English and the original Spanish, examines a familiar scripture story from a different frame of reference, you might say. I was so happy to see this submission right after finishing my analysis of how Mormons write about aliens as it fits right into the pattern of expanding the gospel story beyond a single planet. Gabriel González’s lyrical translation reflects the ethereal and dreamlike nature of the story.

The Double-Snatcher – I’ll admit that when I first started reading W. O. Hemsath’s story, I was skeptical as I’m not much of a consumer of talking animal stories. But when I realized what she was doing, I zipped right through to the heartbreaking ending. Maybe you’ll catch on more quickly than I did, but either way, I know you’ll enjoy this clever story that takes on an issue I never before considered.

You Are Beautiful, Dead, Whole – Chanel Earl’s story/poem takes fairy tale tropes and scripture stories, places them in a blender, and pushes “puree.” The result is a smooth refreshment composed of the real and the fictional, all of it with a special mythopoeic feel. Makes me excited to see what she comes up with for the upcoming folklore-themed issue of Irreantum she’s helping to edit.

The Haunted – I’ve saved another of my favorites for last (or first, if you’re reading the right way round). Mathilda Zeller’s story of a teen girl with a strained relationship with the church and with the ghosts who haunt her is a real achievement in Mormon speculative fiction. Her characters manage to be very real about their relationships to the institutional church while also dealing with a very unreal problem. I laughed, cried, and learned to love Moroni Alvarez and our unnamed protagonist, and I hope you do as well.

The genre issue, along with the rest of Irreantum, is freely available on the internet. That being said, if you feel you got some value out of this issue, please support the writers by joining the Irreantum Patreon. It only charges when a new issue is released; I believe the donations for this issue will be collected November 1st. The Patreon money goes straight to paying the authors who worked so hard to bring you these unique stories that might not have been published in a mainstream press. Plus by becoming a patron, you’ll get early access to Irreantum’s next issue. There are currently three themed issues accepting submissions, one on folklore and one on the restoration. I’m sure you’re gonna want to see what comes next!